What's happening?

It is one of the most important measures of any economyThe way that money flows through a country, which affects wages and the cost of living.: GDPShort for Gross Domestic Product, the measure of all the goods and services produced inside a country..

Gross Domestic Product measures all of the goods and services produced in an economy. Most of the time, leaders want to make sure it keeps growing.

Now, some say it is time to rethink.

Some think GDP is not a helpful way to measure the success of an economy. GDP takes into account the time people spend at work or buying things in shopping centres.

But it does not measure the time people spend laughing with friends or teaching their children how to read. In short, it does not measure how well or happy people are.

Most people think that when the economy grows, people are happier, and when it shrinks, people have a hard time. But even when the economy grows, not everyone has all of the money and things they need.

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But now, some say this is not always true. Some think it is time to make the economy shrink. They think we should stop using up the Earth's resourcesA stock or supply of things, such as money or food, that can be used to fulfil a purpose. Earth's natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, fuels, plants, and animals. to make so many things. This is called degrowth.

They say we do not need to spend more money to make us happier and healthier. All we are doing, they say, is harming the planet.

Yes! Degrowth is a good idea. It would not make people any worse off. And it could also help the planet.

No! Economic growth has allowed us to make new things, have better lives and live for longer. We can help the planet without shrinking the economy.